Hose-coupling.



No. 736,184. r PATENTED AUG. 11, 1903.

Y J. WHITEPORD.

HOSE COUPLING.

nrmoulon FILED m. 28, 1902.

no HODBL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

of the coupler.

g UNITED STATES Patented August 11, I903.

HOSE-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 736,184, dated August11, 1903. Application filed August 28. 1 02; Serial No. 121,339. (Nomodel.)

T0 at whom it nuty concern; 9

Be it known that LJAMES WHITEFORD, a citizen of the United Statesof'America, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inI-Iosefiouplers, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates tocertain new and useful improvements inhose-couplers, and has for its main object to construct a device wherebytwo sections of hose may be conveniently and securely coupled togetherand I 5 leakage at the coupling absolutely prevented.

The invention aims, further, to construct a coupler which while holdingthe two sections in secure coupled engagement may be easily operated soas to uncouple the sections when desired.

1 With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in thenovel construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morespecifically described and then particularly pointed out in the claims,

and in describing the invention in detail reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and whereinlike numerals of reference will ap- 0 ply to like parts throughout thedrawings, in

which- Figure l is a side elevation of myimproved coupler, showing thesame as applied to two sections of hose, coupling the same together.

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is aside elevation showing the coupler partially uncoupled with the couplingwrench or device applied in position for coupling the two sections ormembers view of the coupler in its applied position. Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of one of the rack members carried by the female section ormember of the coupler, showing the same detachedfrom the member. Fig. 6is an underneath plan view of the same. Fig. 7 is a detail perspectiveview thereof. Fig. 8 is an end view of the coupler applied in position;andFig. 9 is a detail perspective view of a convenient form of devicefor applying leverage to the coupler, so as to draw the two members intocoupled engagement.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective To put my invention into practice, Iprovide two sleeve members 1 and 2, which I designate as male and femalemembers, respectively. The male sleeve member has on its one end atapering extension or nipple 3, while the female sleeve member isconstructed in its mutually adjacent end with a tapering socket toreceive the extension or nipple 3. The latteris slightly shorter thanthe socket, and a gasket 4, which may be of rubber or any compressiblematerial, is placed against the inner wall of the socket and is engagedby the inner end of the extension or nipple to form awater-tight joint.

It will be observed that when the inner end of the extension or nippleis in engagement with the gasket, as shown in Fig. 2, the inner end ofthe female sleeve member will not be in engagement with the annularshoulder 5 of the male section, but that a slight space will remainbetween this annularshoulder and the end of the female sleeve member inorder to permit the moving of the sections toward each other as thegasket is compressed under leverage. The male sleeve member 1 isprovided on two opposite faces, preferably the upper and lower faces,with teeth 6, which are adapted to interlock with teeth of rack memberscarried by the female sleeve member, as will later be described. At itsouter end the male sleeve member has an extension 7, which receives thesection 8 of the hose. This section of the hose is sleeved onto theextension and the end of the hose is received in an annular groove 9.The section 10 of the hose to be coupled is sleeved onto an extension 11on the outer end of the female sleeve member, and the inner end of thishose-section is received in an annular groove 12 in said female sleevemember in the same manner as the hose-section 8 is secured. This femalesleevesection is provided on two opposite faces, preferably the upperand lower faces, with dovetail grooves 14, and dovetailed into these:grooves are rack members 15, the extending portions of which areprovided with teeth 16 to interlock with the teeth 6 on the malesleevemember. The, rack members are not provided with teeth extendingentirely across the width of the rack-bar, as since the rackbar membersare fastened to the female member it would be difficult to disengagefrom the teeth 6, and, furthermore, a partial engagement of the teeth 16with the teeth 6 is sufficient to lock the two members together. To thisend I constructthe rack-bar members in four piecesnamely, the dovetailblock which fits in the groove, two outside bars 17, carrying the teeth16, and an intermediate member 18, which has no teeth, thus forming aspace between the teeth 16 on one bar 17 and the teeth 16 on the otherbar 17. (See Fig. 7.) The bars 17 are riveted or'otherwise suitablysecured near their outer ends to the dovetailed block, and beingunsecured throughout the remainder of theirlength the toothed endsthereof may be elevated suffi- -ciently to disengage from the teeth 6 bymeans as will later be explained. The intermediate bar 18 is secured tothe two outside bars 17, and the teeth 16 on one bar 17 are staggeredwith respect to the teeth on the other bar 17, so that the teeth of butone bar 17 will bein engagement with the teeth 6 at one time. The barsentering into the construction of the upper rack-bar member are struckupwardly, as at 19, while the bars entering into the construction of thelower rackbar member are struck downwardly to form channels 2O 21, theformer having a cam-wall 22 and the latter a cam-wall 23 to be engagedby pins carried by the uncoupling device to now be described.

The uncoupling device comprises a segment 24, which is pivotally mountedintermediate of its ends on a pin or stud 25, carried by the femalecoupling member, and may be retained in position on said pin or stud bya key 26, passed through the pin or stud, as shown in Fig. l. Thesegment 24 carries pins 27 28 near the ends, the former extendingthrough the channel 20 and the latter extending through or into thechannel 21. segment carries near its upper end an upwardly-extending pin29, serving as a lever to actuate the segment. When pressure is appliedto the lever 29, so as to force the same rearwardly, as shown by thedotted lines in Fig. 1, the link 24 is turned upon its pivotpin 25,fixed to the female coupling. The pin 27 of the upper end of the linkengages the cam-face 22 of the upper rack member, forcing the'sameupwardly and out of contact with the teeth of the male coupling, and atthe same time pin 28 of the lower end of the link 24 moves down thecam-face 23 of the lower rack member, forcing the same downwardly out ofengagement with the lower rack of the male coupling, owing to thestaggered relation of teeth 17 to teeth 16, as shown in Fig. 3 by dottedlines. This movement by the rack member is permitted by their beingsecured at the opposite end from the rack to the female coupling andbeing free throughout their length. By the disengagement of the teeth 16and 17 from the teeth 6 of the male member the latter may be withdrawnfrom engagement with the female coupling.

In order that the members may bebrought The into effectual coupledengagement, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, I provide means for drawingthe two members together. A practical form of this means is shown in thepresent illustration. It embodies projecting studs or pins 30, carriedat opposite sides of the female sleeve member, and like studs or pins31, projecting from opposite sides of the male sleeve member. I may thenemploy a lever of the form shown in Fig. 9, embodyinga yoke 32, carryinga handle 33 and having its two arms or legs bifurcated at their lowerends, as shown at 34. Pivotally connected about midway of the arms ofthe yoke are lever-arms 35, the outer ends of which are formed intohooks 36, as shown, to engage with the pins 30. These two arms arepreferably connected together bya curved crossbar 37. This device isplaced in position on the pins after the two sections have beenpartially engaged with each other, as seen in Fig. 3. As the yoke ispushed forwardly in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, the femalemember will be drawn toward the male member, while the latter will beforced toward the female member, as will be apparent by reference toFig. 3. After being drawn together to the desired position the leverdevice may be removed. The manner in which the coupling may be uncoupledhas been fully described.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a hose-coupler the combination with a female member having atapering socket, a

male member having a tapering, shouldered extension thereon, adapted tofit within the socket of said female member, teeth upon opposite sidesof the male member, rack members secured to the opposite faces of thefemale member to engage said teeth, said rack members havingcam-recesses therein adapted to engage with looking and unlocking meansfor the coupling, said locking means comprising pivoted link members andlevers for operating the same, substantially as described.

2. In a hose-coupling, a male and female member, hose-receivingrecessesin each member, said male member bearing teeth upon two oppositefaces,a tapering projection thereon adapted to enter a tapered socket inthe female member, rack members secured upon opposite faces of saidmember, cam-faces in said rack members, means to lock and unlock thesaid maleand female members engaging the cam-faces of said rack members,said means comprising a pair of segmental links pivoted together uponthe female member of the coupling, and levers engaging the free endsthereof for operating the same, substantially as described.

3. In a coupling for hose, means to secure the same to the members ofthe coupling, a male member having teeth and a tapered extensionthereon, a female member having rack members thereon, and a taperedrecess therein adapted to receive the extension of said male member,cam-faces on said rack members, means for locking and unlocking thecoupling, comprising a pair of segmental lugs pivotally secured togetheron the female member, pins therein to engage the said camfaces, and apair of levers for actuating said means, substantially as described.

4. In a hose-coupling, means to draw the members together, and means tounlock the members, comprising rack-pieces secured to opposite faces ofthe female member adapted to yield outwardly from said faces, teeth uponsaid members staggered with relation to each I other, cam recesses insaid rack members,

links secured pivotally to oneanother and to the female member, leverssecured to the other ends of said links for actuating the same, pinstherein seated in said cam-recesses and adapted on movement of said linkto re lease the teeth of the rack members from engagement with teeth ona male member.

cured to the ends of said links, and cam-recesses on the rack membersseating said pins, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES WHITEFORD.

Witnesses:

JOHN NOLAND, K. H. BUTLER.

